Clothesline container



Oct. 28,1952 5, 05 7 2,615582 CLOTHESLINE CONTAINER Filed Q012- ll, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Zmventor Emma T I ll: 5

(Ittorneg Oct. 28, 1952 MOE CLOTHESLINE CONTAINER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Ogt. 11, 1948 Zinuentor E/NHB M05 Gttorneg Patented Oct. 28, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,615,582

OLDTHESLINE CONTAINER Einar Moe, Seattle, Wash. Applicationflctober 11, 1948, Serial No. 53,827 2 Claims. 1( 01. 211-11915) This invention relates to clothes line reels and it has reference more particularly to improvements in reels wherein one or more clothes lines are wound on a'spring roller and may be drawn out therefrom to more or less extent as may be desiredor required. I

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a simplified, effective and practical reel of the above kind that is characterized by use therein of a novel means, apart from the spring roller, whereby the tension placed *on the lines when in use may be sustained and the difierent distances to which the lines may be drawn out, definitely established.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a tension sustaining means as above stated that is common to all lines and which permits ready and an easy release of the lines for readjustment in extended length when such is desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide "a clothes line reel embodying the above mentioned features, which is light in weight, easily 'portable and equipped for its ready attachment to and release from a wall or other -form of support.

Still further objects of the. invention are 'tobe found in the details of construction of parts "embodied in the device, in their combination and "in their mode of use, as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing these and other objects ofth'e invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of whichare illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a clothes line reel embodying the improvements of the present invention therein and showing the lines extended.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the roller housing with a part of its cover member broken away for 'better understanding of the enclosed parts. I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-section taken on line 3--3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a iragmental, perspectivev'iew showing the cover member as raised to release the clothes lines for adjustment.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an alternative connection; the cover member or the housing being shown 'in a raised position.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation .of the device.

Fig. 7 is a top view of .a part of the housing, showing a portion of the cover broken away.

Briefly described, the device ofthe'presentinvention comprises a housing or frame structure, equipped :ior its functional 'securement to a wall or support, and in which housing a spring roller is mounted. Wound on the roller, at spaced intervals therealong, are clothes lines, adapted to be drawn out from the housingand secured at their outer ends to a support for use. The housing has a cover member which is equipped with means that-co-acts with a'wall of the housing and stops on the clothes lines to anchor the lines and to sustain the load that is placed on the latter when in use, thus to relieve the spring in the roller of this load and to definitely establishthe extent to which the lines are drawn out.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

The roller housing, which I have designated in its entirety by numeral II], is of rigid and substantial form and preferably is constructed of wood or light-weight metal. It is of elongated, box-like for-m, rectangular in shape, and may be made in various lengths depending somewhat by the number of clothes'lines which are to be used therewith.

In its present pref-erred form of construction, the "housing comprises a vertical front wall ll, opposite end walls I2l2, and a removable top or cover member l3. It is desirable that-theba'ck and bottom of the housing be left open, thus-to lessen oreliminate weight and-to facilitate easier handling and use of the device. In Fig. 3,1'ha've shown the end walls to be "joined-across the back side of the housing by a cross member M. This may be used as a means for the-securing of the housing to a, wall. If it is desired, the housing may be removably attached to a wall or support by other suitable means; for example, 'by means of hooks, ashas been illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein I have shown a supporting wall -I B withhooks I I of common form fixed thereto and applied to eyelets l 8 that are mounted in the end walls ofthe housing.

Contained in'thehousing l0, lengthwise thereof, is aspring roller '20, similar to the well'known type-of roller used for mounting window curtains. This roller has'a mounting pin, ortrunnion, 2| at one end seated in a hole or socket 22 the center'of anend wall [2. Contained in the roller is a helical spring 23 thatisfixed at 'one end to the roller and at itsother end is fixed to -a rod 24 that extendsfrom the rollerand supports the roller from the adjacent end wall of the "housing. The rod has a flattened head portion at its end which is seated in a slot 25 in the end wall to holdthe rod'against rotation.

Wound onthe roller, at spaced intervals 'therealong, are the clothes lines, designated by nu-' meral 26. Eachlineis 'fixed atits inner end to tended positions.

of the roller, directly the roller and under the action of the spring all lines will be automaticaly wound onto the roller upon their being released from their ex- Adjacent to their outer ends, the clothes lines are applied through eyelets or openings in a cross bar 21 and at their outer ends, the lines are equipped with hooks or rings, as at 2B in Fig. 1, for application to a securing or supporting member.

In carrying out one of the main objects of the invention, I provide the front wall ll of the housing, at its top edge, with relatively large, square-cut notches 29. These notches are spaced in accordance with the spacing of the clothes lines on the spring roller, and the corresponding clothes lines are passed from the top side through these notches, as is best shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The cover member l3 of the housing comprises a fiat board or plate, normally disposed flatly upon the housing. Attached to the cover on its under side is an anchor plate or flange 30 that extends at right angles to the cover and. substantially to its full length. When the cover I3 is in a position resting on the housing, as shown in Fig. 1, the anchor plate projects into the interior of the housing and bears flatly against the inside surface of housing wall II, as illustrated in Fig. 3. Formed in this plate, and open to its bottom edge, are slots, or relatively narrow notches 32. These slots are located in positions corresponding to the positions of the notches 29 in the front wall H. The lines 26, as extended from the roller, pass directly through the slots or notches 32 in the anchor plate and through the corresponding notches 21 in the front wall. The slots in the plate are narrow, but of sufiicient width to permit the free passage of the lines when being retracted or extended but with a minimum clearance to prevent passage of stops as will presently be described.

It is an object of this invention to provide a means whereby the spring roller will be relieved of the strain or tension exerted upon the lines when clothes are hung thereon. To accomplish this objective, simple, overhand knots 35 are tied in each line at corresponding intervals from their outer ends; the purpose of these knots being to act as stops. When the lines are being drawn out, the cover member [3 may be raised so that the lines will pass freely, but after the lines have been extended to the required length, the cover would be replaced so that the lines would pass through the corresponding slots 32 in the anchor plate, and also through the wall notches 29.

The knots in the lines, when correctly placed, will then be abutted directly against the inside of the anchor plate member. The formation of the knots so enlarges the lines at these points that they are unable to pass through the narrow slots in the plate and thereby the strain or tension placed upon the lines is exerted directly upon the plate and sustained by the housing, thus relieving the roller of such strain. In lieu of knots placed in the lines, it may be deemed more advantageous and expeditious to employ some other means as stops. Such substitutes may be in the nature of clamps, knobs or pieces of lead which can be readily secured to the lines. If it is desired to lengthen the lines, the cover member is raised to disengage the stops and the lines may then be extended as required. The cover-member is then replaced as previously described so that when the lines are placed under tension, the knobs at this setting. will be pulled directly against the plate to sustain the load or tension.

To facilitate the simultaneous drawing out of all the lines to an extended position, the cross bar 21 is provided. The lines are passed through the eyelets or openings in the bar and simple knots 38 are tied in the lines on the back side of the slat approximately six inches from the end of the lines to prevent the lines being disengaged from the bar. It is thereby made possible for a person to extend all lines at one time and with comparative ease.

Referring now to the alternative form of device shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7:

This comprises a roller housing that may be formed in exactly the same manner as that already described. It comprises parts H, 12 and I4, and is equipped with spring roller 20 and clothes lines 26 wound thereon to extend through notches or openings 29 in the front wall of the housing. In lieu of the cover as previously described, I here employ a cover plate 133:! to which blocks or flanges 301: are fixed to depend downwardly therefrom for the holding of the clothes lines and to rest against the inside of the front wall H of the housing when the cover is applied thereto. These flanges, instead of extending across the housing notches 29, as in the device of Fig. 1, only partially overlap the corresponding notches, as is shown in Fig. 6, and have vertical edges 30] that are so spaced from the oppositely faced edge surface of the notches 29 that the lines 26 may pass but the stops on the lines will be retained.

It is provided also that the cover plate I33: will fit down within the top of the housing and be supported in this position by a sheet metal plate fixed to the top of plate l3:c to extend beyond its end edges. The cover is thus held against endwise shifting when applied.

It is also desirable that blocks be fixed as has been shown in Fig. '7, to the inside surface of the front wall of the housing, adjacent the edges of notches 29 that are opposite the vertical edges 30) of flanges 30, so as to better hold the stops that are placed on the lines.

The clothes lines may be released for read- I justment by raising the cover plate, as illustrated in Fig. 5, or the cover plate may be moved endwise by raising the right end of the cover plate, with respect to the illustration in Fig. 6 of the drawing, above the side wall of the housing. The cover plate may then be slid endwise to the right, enlarging the opening between the flange 30a: and the block 45 so as to provide sufficient clearance for the stops on the line to pass therethrough. After the lines have been extended to their desired length, the cover is returned to its normal position by sliding it to the left so as to decrease the opening between the flange 30m and the block 45. The endwise movement of the cover plate required to release the lines would be only a fraction of an inch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A housing and holder for an extendable clothes line that is formed at intervals therealong with enlargements serving as line stops, said housing having a front wall formed with a notch opening to the top edge thereof for the reception and passing of the clothes line into and from the housing, and a removable cover forthehqusing formed withmeans adapted to.

5 overlap with the notched wall when the cover is applied and adapted to restrict the notched opening to prevent the line stops from passing out of the housing.

2. A housing and holder for an extendable clothes line that is formed at intervals therealong with enlargements serving as line stops, said housing having a front wall formed with a plurality of notches opening to the top edge thereof for reception and passing of the clothes 10 lines into and from the housing, and a removable cover for the housing formed with a plurality of blocks depending therefrom and adapted to engage against the inside of the front wall when the cover is applied to the housing; said blocks adapted to partially overlap the notches and restrict the width of the notches so as to prevent the line stops from passing therethrough.

EINAR MOE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 559,022 Barnes Apr. 28, 1896 1,380,378 Hazlett June '7, 1921 1,413,846 Fredak Apr. 25, 1922 2,370,520 Bondel Feb. 2'7, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 209,316 Switzerland June 17, 1940 

